Hawks finish 18-game stretch with 13-4-1 mark
Three days without a game. The Blackhawks were having a hard time remembering what that was like.
"It's going to feel like a couple weeks," captain Jonathan Toews said.
With no game until Thursday when Columbus comes to the United Center, the Hawks are getting their first three-day break in the schedule since the second week of December.
Sunday's 3-1 loss to Anaheim ended a grueling period of 18 games in 33 days. The Hawks had played either every other day or on consecutive days since Dec. 26, a stretch of 10 games in 16 days, but it was a rugged schedule they used to their advantage.
The Hawks went 7-2-1 in those 10 games and 13-4-1 in that 18-game, 33-day stretch to separate themselves from much of the pack in the Western Conference.
Their 66 points still lead the race for first place overall and the President's Trophy, and they had an 11-point bulge over second-place Nashville in the Central Division prior to the Predators' game in Vancouver late Monday night.
"We had a real nice run there," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "We wanted to be first in our division and if we can accomplish more than that, that's our next motivation.
"We got to the top, but sustaining it is going to be another huge challenge. We've still got to look at the short term, and we know we are facing a monster road trip coming up."
The Hawks start an eight-game road trip in Columbus on Saturday afternoon that figures to put them to a test both physically and mentally. The NHL schedule maker must be a Red Wings fan to send the Hawks on a two-week journey to Columbus, Detroit, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver, back to Edmonton, to San Jose, then across the country to Carolina with just one day between games with the Sharks and Hurricanes.
That's why this little three-day break couldn't have come at a better time, especially with the Hawks coming off losses to Minnesota and Anaheim.
"Rest and get excited," Quenneville said of what he hoped to get out of the break. "You get a day off or two, get reenergized and refreshed. It seems like every day you come to the rink there's a game."
That can be blamed on the NHL's decision to participate in the Olympics next month when the schedule will be suspended for 15 days. In order for the regular season to end early enough in April so as not to extend the Stanley Cup Finals into July, the league has had to condense its schedule.
It actually has been beneficial to a team such as the Hawks with all the young legs.
"We've been playing every other day, but we like it like that, too," Toews said. "It keeps us busy and we're doing all right. It's the same for every other team pretty much so the better you can deal with it, the more it's going to help you.
"I would imagine one of the reasons we've had success is the other teams, maybe they're tired and we just seem to wear them down in the third period. We've been able to just chip away and find ways to win games."
<p class="factboxheadblack">Blazing Blackhawks</p>
<p class="News"><b>Before 18-game stretch:</b> The Hawks were 18-7-3, 3 points ahead Nashville in the Central and 6 up on third-place Detroit.</p>
<p class="News"><b>After stretch:</b> Despite back-to-back losses, Hawks are 31-11-4 and extended lead over Nashville (11 points) and Detroit (14).</p>
<p class="breakhead">Highlights during stretch </p>
<p class="News">• Had run of 3 shutouts in four games and finished the stretch with 4 shutouts - two each by Cristobal Huet and Antti Niemi.</p>
<p class="News">• Allowed only 7 goals during one six-game stretch.</p>
<p class="News">• Outscored opponents 67-38.</p>
<p class="News">• Leading scorer Patrick Kane registered 25 points in 18 games.</p>
<p class="News">• Went from fifth overall in NHL points (39) to No. 1 with 66.</p>